56 réponses à ce sujet

[Absafraginlootly]

The biggest reason I loved DAO was because it was a sort of middle ground for me between games like elderscrolls where your backround is what ever you want, you do whatever you want but the main story isn't the real focus and doesn't have choices and games where you have a set character, backround and the main quest is key which I find don't have much replayablility which is one of the things I value most in games.

DAO had more freedom for imagination and more replayability then the later type because it gave you multiple backrounds and you could decide your characters personality but it had a more present and interesting story than the former as well as having choices to make in that story.

So I'd really love for origins to return in The Next Thing, I'd love races too but origins more so. I know alot of people thought they were a waste because they didn't affect much in game but that didn't bother me, it didn't matter that the game didn't know that I was a city elf or a dwarven noble, I knew and I acted accordingly.

If the series does stop having origins then I'd prefer they went for a more vague backround over having one set origin, allows more room for imagination, which for me personally would be a needed replacement for origins.

But I hope that we do get origins back, it's not as if we need there to be as many as there were in DAO and if they don't return dragon age will have lost what drew me to there series in the first place

[Sylvius the Mad]

I would love a mysterious stranger background.  Let the player define it as he sees fit.

This would mean either the PC's background isn't know to the PC at the start of the game and thus isn't relevant to his personality (as in PST or KotOR), of that the PC's background is completely undefined (as in NWN).

A lightly defined background (a broad description of where the PC has been) as in DAO or BG would also be acceptable, but I'd prefer a blank slate.

Modifié par Sylvius the Mad, 15 juin 2012 - 09:25 .

[karushna5]

A full background is appreciated. I like to play the beginning as well. I think DA2 failed a little that we never saw a home life before the darkspawn. There needs to be a calm before the storm to get you attached to the characters.

We all loved the choices in DA:O but I doubt that will happen. Personally I think the biggest mistake is getting attached to a new character every game. Hawke was portrayed alot like Shepard and hoped as much. The idea of getting to like a new PC is frustrating and a little daunting.

[MKDAWUSS]

Having things undefined gives the player more freedom in terms of developing the PC. Not just visually (DAO I had to tweak faces to make sure they looked like they belonged in their respective families; DA2 I just ran with the default face), but also biographically and behaviorally. When things are defined, there tends to be a bit of limitations, either by necessity or by plausibility.

And if there are things that are defined, I'd like to know them ahead of time so I can avoid any retcons regarding the character I'm shaping.

[Fast Jimmy]

I'd like to see a class origin, at the least, and then the choice of a major plot faction later in the game after CC would be another huge impact.

For instance, a Pro-Mage rogue and a pro-Templar rogue would have roughly the same opening, but their mid game would be markedly different.

And then, of course for anyone who has seen a post from me, ever, endings that can be truly random based on all the decisions made during the game. I love epilogue slides, but would be open to another form of ending telling, provided I see something that shows me that my choice had real impact on how things played out.

Modifié par Fast Jimmy, 16 juin 2012 - 01:34 .

[syllogi]

I liked the idea of having a history and family, both in Origins and DA2, but it definitely lessens my attachment to them if I suspect that they are going to die for the sake of forced angst, and in most cases I'm proved right. So, if we get a family this time around, please shock me and don't kill them off.

Oh, and please just link skin and hair color of family members to the player character. The variable looks of the Hawke family made me restart the game a few times, just to find a preset to start from that wouldn't lead to my poor siblings looking ugly, or having terrible hairstyles.

If we're going be from Orlais, I want to learn more about the class system. We know about the nobility's love of masks and intrigue, but I'd like to learn more about the common people. I really loved hearing in game folk stories, like from the Ash Warriors and Leliana.

Friends would be good too, or at least people around the hero who have known them since childhood.

[karushna5]

Yes please! I would love different backgrounds according to class although choosing faction and having a side that early might hurt and I am still upset at Bioware for making my pro templar mage inspire other mages to rebel. I am worried if it was by faction they would force mages to be pro mage.

Please bioware a background per class, that solves your too many backgrounds problem AND our need for one. Also we can choose factions there. I will be sorely disapointed if I can't play a pro Templar mage and that should be allowed

[wsandista]

Fast Jimmy wrote...

I'd like to see a class origin, at the least, and then the choice of a major plot faction later in the game after CC would be another huge impact.

For instance, a Pro-Mage rogue and a pro-Templar rogue would have roughly the same opening, but their mid game would be markedly different.

And then, of course for anyone who has seen a post from me, ever, endings that can be truly random based on all the decisions made during the game. I love epilogue slides, but would be open to another form of ending telling, provided I see something that shows me that my choice had real impact on how things played out.

I agree with most of this (although I still prefer an undefined background) assuming the backgrounds are ambiguous.

If there are going to be class origins, should there be variable class origins? Also, if there is race selection, should there be race-specific origins?

[Withidread]

BobSmith101 wrote...

Knight of Dane wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...
Does the background mean much if it's irrelevant?

You can't move on without knowing from where you came.

How does that work with an amnesiac character?

An amnesiac character doesn't know where they came from and is unable to move on. Not knowing where they came from could potentially become the entire driving force behind all of their actions.

[AcidRelic]

Andrastee wrote...

I would like to see origins back, but I think six was too many. I mean, I enjoyed them, but a couple of them seemed underwritten - I'm looking at you, Dalish elf - and almost nobody played my favourite ones anyway. (Only 5% of players ever picked dwarves, according to the reporting software.)

Therefore, my preference would be for origins based on class rather than race. That would give us three - and fewer origins would hopefully mean more depth and interactivity with them in the rest of the game.

I agreee that some seemed to recieve less attention to detail and some had more impact on the story than others. I still would like it to be more Origin style than Hawke.

Origin based on class rather than race would be interesting but I think that would work better for a Hawke style (Single Race Hero) with a class origin than 3 races really.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Withidread wrote...

BobSmith101 wrote...

Knight of Dane wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...

Does the background mean much if it's irrelevant?

You can't move on without knowing from where you came.

How does that work with an amnesiac character?

An amnesiac character doesn't know where they came from and is unable to move on. Not knowing where they came from could potentially become the entire driving force behind all of their actions.

I disagree.  As long as you know who you are now, you can make any necessary decisions about your life or the situations in which you find yourself.

Who you were in the past need not matter.

[schalafi]

I really don't care what my pc's background will be, (excluding, of course, Amnesia!) I'm more concerned with the choices my character makes during the game, and if they will have a true impact when it's over. I was frustrated by PST's ending, and also somewhat by DA2"s ending. I don't think my choices in game really had any revelence to the end game.
I also agee that who you were in the past doesn't really matter, it's what you become that counts, as I'm sure a lot of adopted orphans can attest to.

Modifié par schalafi, 17 juin 2012 - 02:50 .

[FaWa]

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[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Not a fan of the amnesiac option at all.

Guild Wars 2 seems to have a neat way of dealing with background stories. Once the basics of character creation are dealt with (gender, appearance, etc) you have the option of answering a number of questions that help to define your character, including both their favoured attitude (ferocity/dignity/charm) and backstory, which are different depending on your character's race. How you answer them directly affects your personal story arc within the game and yields different quests and characters. For instance, a Norn character who chose part of their backstory "At the last Gathering of the Clans I got into a fight a rival, and I lost." will have a vastly different personal arc than "At the last Gathering of the Clans, I got drunk and passed out. I have no idea what happened after that, or with whom."

I guess such things are only economic if the devs think enough people will play more than once, or at least use the character creation more than once, and not skip the questions entirely.

[Sir JK]

Backgrounds and origins are nice things, if they are brought into the story. As others have mentioned, this was the flaw of the Origins in DAO. With the exception of a few clal backs (which were very nice), they ultimately didn't matter.

If my background does not matter, then I prefer an ambigous or undefined one. Since the game or plot does not interact with it at all it's better if I can fill it with what pleases me instead.

However, getting a background that contineously is brought into the narrative is far more preferable to me. It brings the character into the story in a far superior way. It shows you that your character is a part of the world.

[Dakota Strider]

If I had to choose between only one background (like DA2) or no background at all, I would prefer nothing, as opposed to being railroaded into one choice. But I would prefer at least as many choices as we had in DAO. As a rule with Role Playing games, more choices are almost always the best thing for the player.

[freche]

Allan Schumacher wrote...

Is The Nameless One the best example for this?

While his past may be predefined, it also has no bearing on how the player wishes to play the game due to the amnesia. There's no inconsistency and TNO can effectively be played as a clean slate.

Does the background mean much if it's irrelevant?

I never played Planescape and don't know anything about the story.
But a part of the story for a character with amnesia should be trying to discover who you where and thus the background matters even for them.
You would need some really good reasons why the character would not be able to find out about his background and why he sould follow the games story (defeating evil just because it's evil is not a good reason).

[Knight of Dane]

BobSmith101 wrote...

Knight of Dane wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...
Does the background mean much if it's irrelevant?

You can't move on without knowing from where you came.

How does that work with an amnesiac character?

You know you are amnesiac from past happenings. then i guess you either search for remedy or just move on.

[Pzykozis]

Doesn't really bother me either way, I do hope race will make a return but wont be that bothered if its not. I'd just like the PC to matter, more if they go with a single template, that character should matter far more than Hawke or the Warden did to their respective stories. Everything else just make it fun, fun is always good.

Nebulous impossible wants.. awww yeah.

[Patchwork]

I like the idea of class origins but I still want to be able to choose a race.
History and family could be the same for each race no matter which class is picked.

[karushna5]

I think race might be a little difficult for them. And unless they take 6 years to make the game It won't be like Dragon Age and no little hints or ideas. Without going to your background place and having race matter it feels hollow. I love backgrounds and would hate an ambiguous background. It goes against the story type and I feel more important to games that are open world.

Even Fable had a good background. RPGs with choices, in my opinion, always should. That is why I really liked the guys idea to have class backgrounds. What choice affects us most then class? It gives variety and enough time for the creators to work on it. Customization without too much trouble.

[Vormaerin]

Ser Bard wrote...

I like the idea of class origins but I still want to be able to choose a race.
History and family could be the same for each race no matter which class is picked.

So you just want the appearance of being a dwarf or an elf?   In theory, these races have their own cultures.   You can make all the elves and dwarves into acculturated immigrants, so they talk and act like the local humans do.   But doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of being an elf or dwarf?

[Wulfram]

I think an amnesiac character is very strongly defined. Because, well, you can't play anything except a guy with no memories. I don't really want to play a guy with no memories. Particularly not an ugly scarred guy with no memories.

Though KotOR's "you have memories but they're not real" was an interesting dodge.

Also, I don't want class based origins. Well, different origins for Mages and non-Mages make sense in the setting, but I don't want to have to be a criminal to be a rogue or something like that.

[PsychoBlonde]

loaklt1 wrote...

Well, if the PC is voiced again (which is quite confirmed), then he/she should have a background story. The voiced PC offers the possibility to include the character better into the game, as he/she isn't only a projection screen for the player's wishes. Bioware should definitly use that possibility. 

I absolutely agree with this, in the sense that if you're going with the voiced PC option, get your money's worth *out* of it.  I find that I dislike it more when the game devs don't develop the options opened by their overall selections.  Having an unvoiced PC lets you put in tons of options, yeah.  Having a voiced PC may limit those options but gives you the opportunity to create a lot more DEPTH of character for the PC, because you're not stuck trying to make situations where every. possible. combination. can sensibly fit.

Pick one and squeeze it for all it's worth (or, well, as much as you can manage given budget and the need to have an actual plot in there somewhere yadda yadda).  That's what'll make me happy.

[PsychoBlonde]

Wulfram wrote...

Also, I don't want class based origins. Well, different origins for Mages and non-Mages make sense in the setting, but I don't want to have to be a criminal to be a rogue or something like that.

This is a good point about class-based origins, and one I didn't consider.  When I was thinking about the potentials for class-based origins earlier, I was thinking more that you'd get a little mini-adventure that was more tuned to your class abilities but allowed for multiple race selections.

Would you be okay with something where, say, your rogue had the OPTION to either join a criminal gang or use their rogue abilities to EXPOSE that criminal gang?  Would that be enough of a possible option?

Also, I kind of see class-based origins as a way to avoid defining your character's background from birth onwards.  That was the big difference between the race-based origins and the Mage origin (and, I think, why I ultimately preferred the Mage origin even though the Dwarf Noble was far and away the best-written).  With the Mage origin, they don't specify things like how old you were when you were taken to the circle, who your family was, what your relationship was with them, etc.  In all the other origins, you get family dumped on you.  So my thinking was that class-based origins would allow more for a "how did X type of person end up in this mess" rather than "so, where were you born?"  Allow a little more leeway for people who prefer less definition on some character aspects (because they're free to invent whatever happened before CRISIS EVENT) while still keeping the good parts of the Origins idea.